Cancer.net

Cancer.net
Name	Cancer.net
Type	Health information website
Founded	1999
Owner	American Society of Clinical Oncology
Country	United States

Cancer.net Cancer.net is an online patient information resource operated by the American Society of Clinical Oncology that provides oncology-focused content for patients, families, and caregivers. It synthesizes clinical guidance from oncology organizations and links to care standards, clinical trial registries, and survivorship guidance from institutions such as the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Medicine. The site aims to translate peer-reviewed literature from journals like The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology into patient-facing materials.

Overview

Cancer.net delivers disease-specific pages, treatment summaries, and symptom management guides aligned with recommendations from bodies such as the American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, European Society for Medical Oncology, World Health Organization, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It integrates clinical trial information from registries administered by entities including ClinicalTrials.gov and research programs coordinated by organizations like the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Educational modules reference consensus statements from groups such as the American Society for Radiation Oncology and clinical practice guidelines by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.

History and Development

Cancer.net was launched by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in the late 1990s as part of ASCO’s efforts to expand patient access to oncology information, building on collaborations with institutions like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Over time, content development incorporated findings published in outlets including Nature Medicine, BMJ, and conference proceedings from the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and European Society for Medical Oncology Congress. Platform upgrades have drawn on technologies and standards promoted by organizations such as the Health On the Net Foundation and interoperability initiatives from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

Governance and Funding

Governance of the site is overseen by ASCO leadership and clinical advisory panels composed of specialist contributors affiliated with institutions like Cleveland Clinic, University of California, San Francisco, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Funding sources historically include organizational support from ASCO, educational grants from pharmaceutical companies regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and compliance with disclosure practices endorsed by entities such as the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). Philanthropic partnerships and grants have been received from foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and collaborations with registries run by the American Cancer Society.

Services and Resources

The site provides cancer-specific pages, treatment option overviews, survivorship care plans, and symptom control guides informed by protocols from groups like the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, Children's Oncology Group, and International Agency for Research on Cancer. Patient tools include decision aids referencing frameworks from the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation and navigation resources coordinating with hospital programs at centers such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Clinical trial navigation links direct users to registries like EudraCT and summaries cross-referenced with peer-reviewed research in periodicals like Cancer Research.

Outreach and Education

Cancer.net engages in outreach through partnerships with patient advocacy organizations such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation, LIVESTRONG Foundation, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and by participating in awareness initiatives tied to observances like World Cancer Day and campaigns by the American Cancer Society. Educational programming includes webinars and multimedia developed in concert with academic centers such as Stanford Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Yale School of Medicine, and leverages dissemination channels used by professional meetings including the ASCO Annual Meeting and regional symposia hosted by the Oncology Nursing Society.

Impact and Recognition

Cancer.net has been cited in patient education research appearing in journals like Psycho-Oncology and Supportive Care in Cancer, and has been acknowledged by organizations such as the National Quality Forum for contributions to patient-centered information. Awards and recognitions include honors from digital health groups and citations in guideline development by consortia including the International Society of Paediatric Oncology and the European Cancer Organisation. Its resources are used by healthcare systems such as Kaiser Permanente and academic centers including University of Pennsylvania Health System to supplement clinic-based patient education.

Category:Medical websites Category:Cancer organizations based in the United States